By Raymond Buhr 1/27/06
Im Ray Buhr, a transplanted 45 year old Canadian, making Lake Elsinore in southern California my home.
I was taught to fly gliders by a great bunch of instructors in Ontario, Canada, at the club called SOSA, in 1995.
My training continued and I got my Private Glider License in 1997.
I was flying 2-33's, 1-26's, Blanik L-13's and Grob-103's when I last flew in 1999.
The year 2000 was busy as I moved to California and started a new job, and as it usually happens, my time for gliding disappeared for some time.
Its hard to stay out of the air for long, so I took up paragliding in 2004 thinking it would be more convenient than gliding.
Change once again resulted in a new job and a move to Lake Elsinore California......little did I know that there was a glider port 4 miles from my home at the other end of the Lake.
I did do some Paragliding at Elsinore since it is a great site, but I found myself watching the sailplanes along the ridge with envy.
Then as they say, when it rains it pours....through a series of coincidences and deal to good to pass up I first found myself the owner of a Lazair Ultralight, which I still fly now and then.
Then early in 2005 a Monerai Glider became my first owned glider. I worked on it a bit to make some recommended modifications, but eventually realized I was simply to big to be comfortable in it on longer flights so I am now going to have to sell it without a single flight in it.
With that, I had decided I would get back into Gliding at the LESC club in Elsinore......but I still wanted my own glider eventually.....so again my wish was granted and a good deal turned up on this HP-11 that I now own....a present to myself just before X-mas 2005.
I decided that the quickest route to License in the US is for me to simply take the training here as I was sure to progress quickly and obtain a lifetime US Glider Private License.
To date I have done 10 flights dual and am now solo on the 2-33 again....mostly just the instructor going through the motions and checking off all the requirements, although my boxing of the wake took 3 tries to get it right since I seem to have more turbulence to adjust to, adjacent to the ridge here in Elsinore.
I figure that when I have progressed through the 1-26, Blanik L-13 and Pilatus B4 club ships by mid summer, I will be ready to fly the HP-11, and will likely have my license by then.
Now more on this fine HP-11 glider: Page 2
